PRESSURE is mounting on the Government to provide more financial aid to help farmers recover from the effects of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

North Yorkshire has been among the worst-hit areas in the country and a large swathe of it is still subject to the toughest bio-security measures in the country.

However, an urgent plea has gone out for more short-term help, amid claims that the county is not getting its fair share of financial help.

Rural affairs minister Alun Michael is planning a fact-finding tour of North Yorkshire next month, but already he has been contacted by two senior members of the county council.

County council leader John Weighell and John Blackie, who is also the leader of Richmondshire District Council, both stress the need for short-term help for farming and tourism which have been badly hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Coun Weighell said: "We accept that there is not an absolute correlation between the number of foot-and-mouth cases and the economic impact, but there is a direct link. At the start of this crisis, in April and May, the Government's distribution of short-term aid reflected the number of outbreaks.

"As a result, the West Midlands with 130 cases spread over an area no bigger than North Yorkshire received £5.5m of special grant, whereas Yorkshire and the Humber region with 141 cases spread over a wider area has received £2.5m."

Coun Blackie said: "The Government must do something to redress the balance. All the money allocated to the region through this system has been committed - in fact most of it has been spent."

The funding issue has already been discussed in detail by the Association of North Yorkshire Councils and together with the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, a detailed strategy is being drawn up for the long-term recovery of the area.

However, Coun Weighell insisted: "At the moment, we need short-term support from the Government just to ensure the survival of many businesses."

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.